Grants and loans to local governments ... solid waste management update [July 2009]

Grants and Loans to Local Governments
2009 Solid Waste Management Update
During Fiscal Year 2009, $89,509.12 in Solid Waste Trust Funds were awarded to three Georgia counties to clean up scrap tire piles. No other grants or loans were made to local governments from the Fund. Historically the SWTF has usually been used for this purpose, but has always required annual appropriation from the Legislature. When state revenues shrink, portions of the fund have been diverted to the general fund. This occurred in FY 2004 and FY 2005, and again in FY 2009. By fostering the development of local, integrated solid waste management programs, the SWTF, funded by a $1 per tire fee when new tires are purchased in the state, is used for scrap tire management and cleanup; closure of abandoned landfills, grants to local governments for waste reduction and recycling; emergency, preventative and corrective actions at solid waste facilities, market development from recycled products; solid waste education and enforcement; and litter prevention and abatement. The fund is used to support the Environmental Protection Division's (EPD) Local Government Enforcement and Education Grant program, the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority's (GEFA) Recycling and Waste Reduction Grant program, solid waste programs offered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and other state agencies, and local government programs striving to reduce and manage the solid waste disposed in Georgia. In addition to the programs supported by the SWTF, the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority and Georgia Department of Community Affairs have other grant and loan programs available to local governments to support their solid waste management efforts.
Environmental Protection Division (EPD)
EPD's Local Government Enforcement and Education grant program was designed to support local efforts to prevent and enforce against illegal scrap tire and solid waste disposal. The program gives local governments financial incentives to use enforcement and education activities to address: 1.The management of scrap tires, including preventing the illegal dumping of scrap tires; 2.Solid waste reduction and the controlling of illegal dumps; and 3.Other environmental issues.
An eligible applicant may be comprised of one or more local governments. Grant funds are available for establishing and maintaining a Local Environmental Compliance Program that uses enforcement, eradication, and education components to meet its program goals. Continued grant funding is not guaranteed from year to year. Renewal requests are based upon need, the performance of the Local Environmental Compliance Program, and the availability of funds. Grant information and application material for the Local Government Enforcement and Education program are available on the Environmental Protection Division's web site, www.dnr.state.ga.us under "Environmental" then under "Technical Guidance." Or, contact Winthrop Brown at (404) 362-2537 or email winthrop.brown@dnr.state.ga.us.
In 2009, the Scrap Tire program reimbursed a total of $89,509.12 to three local governments. The breakdown by county is as follows: Gordon county $10,220.00 Richmond County $74,919.12 Chattooga County $4,370.00.
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Grants and Loans to Local Governments 2009 Update
Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA)
GEFA annually administers a program historically funded by the SWTF that is intended to help local governments foster an integrated approach to solid waste management by supporting waste reduction, recycling, and composting programs. Grants of up to $50,000 have been available to qualified cities, counties, and solid waste authorities. Demonstration projects or projects implementing an integrated solid waste management plan designed to help the state reach its waste reduction goal were eligible to receive grants of up to $200,000. GEFA disbursed zero dollars in Recycling and Waste Reduction Grants in FY 2009. Contact GEFA at 404-584-1000 or visit www.gefa.org for more information about their Recycling and Waste Reduction grant program. Another financial support program offered by GEFA is their low interest revolving loan program available to local governments. No loans were awarded in FY 2009, though GEFA continues to administer loans from previous years.
Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA)
During FY 2009, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Office of Environmental Management continued to support two (2) recycling infrastructure grants, the Away-from-Home Recycling Grant and the Regional Recycling Hub Grant programs, both of which were supported by Solid Waste Trust Fund dollars. DCA awarded $2,567,518 in FY 2008 to fund these recycling infrastructure grant programs. No additional FY 2009 SWTF dollars were allocated to these efforts.
Away-from-Home Recycling The Away-From-Home Recycling grant included $350,000 dollars from the SWTF, a program partner contribution $40,000 Curbside Value Partnership (CVP), and $25,000 in corporate donations from Coca Cola for a total program value of $415,000. The program funded grant projects in 29 communities across the State.
Strategy Part of instilling a recycling ethic is to provide easy and convenient recycling opportunities both at home and away from home. Georgia is host to many major tourism events which draw large crowds from across the country. From recreational opportunities at our state parks or along our coast, to sporting events, to conferences or community festivals, recycling and litter prevention need to be an integral part of these events. Local governments needed access to specialized containers to collect recyclable materials at special events. The Away-from-Home Recycling program was implemented to establish this recycling ethic through education and promotion. Display of the recycling trailers and use of the ClearStream containers at special events positions grantees to more easily promote litter free events, which exposes over 4.5 million Georgians and
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Grants and Loans to Local Governments 2009 Update
visitors to the state to an image of Georgia pride and conservationism. The program facilitates a behavioral change in special event attendees, enabling them to establish a life-long commitment to recycling by making recycling a habit.
Implementation SWTF dollars allocated to the Away-from-Home grant were used to purchase 35 reusable special event recycling containers and trailers to store and haul the containers, with a retail value of approximately $15,000 per trailer. Each trailer supported a "turn-key" recycling collection infrastructure for special event recycling, which makes recycling at special events easy. This bold initiative for Georgia was the first comprehensive special event recycling collection infrastructure effort in the nation. DCA's Away-from-Home Recycling Grant program is nationally recognized as a model for implementing special event recycling. Under the Away-from-Home grant program, local governments offer use of the trailers to event organizers in their community. The grant contract requires awardees to pledge to maintain recycling at future events and to incorporate the state recycling brand into their special event recycling efforts. Grantees are also required to submit an annual report indicating the volume of materials recycled and the number of events that used the containers. Results The bold "Recycle 4 Georgia" image draws attention to recycling at special events and appeals to the general audience. From implementation through FY 2009, the Away-from-Home Recycling program exposed special event recycling to a reported 4.3 million attendees. Local government grant awardees reported collection of 83.5 tons of recyclables during the first nine months of the program's introduction. The trailers and containers were used at 914 events 436 of which were events where recycling was offered for the first time. A list of communities awarded the Away-from-Home Recycling grant in 2008 is included in the table on the following page and shown in the Infrastructure map.
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Grants and Loans to Local Governments 2009 Update

Away-from-Home Recycling Grants

FY 2008

Community

Estimated Retail Value

Albany-Dougherty County

$15,000.00

Athens-Clarke County

$45,000.00

Bulloch County

$30,000.00

Columbia County

$15,000.00

Dalton-Whitfield County

$30,000.00

Decatur County

$15,000.00

DeKalb County

$30,000.00

Forsyth County

$15,000.00

Glynn County

$15,000.00

Gwinnett County

$15,000.00

Hall County

$15,000.00

Liberty County

$15,000.00

Newton County

$15,000.00

North Georgia Resource Management Authority $30,000.00

City of Alpharetta

$15,000.00

City of Atlanta

$15,000.00

City of Columbus

$15,000.00

City of Decatur

$15,000.00

City of Douglasville

$15,000.00

City of Gainesville

$15,000.00

City of Kennesaw

$15,000.00

City of Monticello

$15,000.00

City of Newnan

$15,000.00

City of Norcross

$15,000.00

City of Rome

$15,000.00

City of Roswell

$15,000.00

City of Savannah

$15,000.00

City of Tifton

$15,000.00

City of Valdosta

$15,000.00

Trailers Awarded
1 3 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

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Grants and Loans to Local Governments 2009 Update
Regional Recycling Hubs The Regional Recycling Hubs grant was funded with $2,217,518 from the SWTF. DCA leveraged additional funding totaling $8,042,950 ($4,938,696 in partner-level support and $3,104,254 local government support) for the Hub program. For every $1 (one dollar) of Solid Waste Trust Fund grant funding, DCA leveraged over $3.60 in partner match dollars from private and local government support. Grants were awarded to four (4) local governments across the State. Strategy This competitive grant program was offered to local governments to either modify their existing recycling operations or construct a new facility to establish a network of regional collection hubs for commingled recyclables throughout the state. This effort also supports rural and small community programs, as each hub serves a 50-75 mile radius, as well as serving as collection points for the recycles collected from special events. Implementation Many of the rural communities throughout Georgia do not generate the volume of recyclables needed to warrant independent collection routes. The collection of commingled recyclables makes it more viable for many communities to sponsor recycling programs. In order to increase collection efficiencies and to minimize transportation costs, this Regional Recycling Hub grant supported the development of the infrastructure needed in the form of regional transfer stations for recyclable materials throughout the State. Expected Results Based on initial tonnage estimates reported by the grantee communities, the Regional Recycling Hub Grant program anticipates a 185% increase in the amount of recovered materials to be collected annually upon implementation of the Hub projects. This calculates to a projected landfill savings of $514,500 per year (based on a $35 per ton average disposal fee). A list of communities awarded the Regional Recycling Hub grant in 2008 is included in the table and shown in the Infrastructure map on the following pages.
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Grants and Loans to Local Governments 2009 Update

Community City of Griffin City of Savannah
City of Valdosta
Bulloch County
TOTAL

Regional Recycling Hubs Grants

Amount $550,000.00 $955,218.00
$425,000.00 $287,300.00
$2,217,518.00

FY 2008
Description Construct a new recycling processing center and purchase the equipment necessary to collect, process, and transport recyclables from communities within a 50 mile radius of the hub. Implement single-stream residential curbside recycling collection in the City. Leverage the development of a privately owned and operated regional recycling hub, promote regional recycling activities, and accept recyclable material within a minimum of a 50 mile radius of the hub. The City shall also implement a recycling marketing strategy as described in the attached Recycling Market Strategy that incorporates the State's recycling campaign. Expand the City's existing recycling processing center infrastructure and convert the facility from a co-mingled processing operation to accept single-stream recyclables to serve as a regional recycling hub, promote regional recycling activities, and accept recyclable material within a minimum of a 75 mile radius of the hub. Modify County's existing recycling center and establish a singlestream recycling processing facility in coastal Georgia to serve as a regional recycling hub, promote regional recycling activities, and accept recyclable material within a minimum of a 50 mile radius of the hub. The project has been delayed due to local and state funding issues. Processing equipment has been purchased and constructon has begun; local officials anticipate construction completed by November 2010.

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Grants and Loans to Local Governments 2009 Update
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DCA also annually administers a Local Development Fund Grant program, a state appropriated grant program that provides matching grants to finance community improvement activities, including solid waste management projects. Grants are typically awarded in maximum amounts of $10,000 for single community projects and $20,000 for multi-community projects. Applications are reviewed based on the following criteria:
Feasibility including such factors as reasonableness of budgets and timetables, adequate consideration of all the factors necessary for implementation, commitment from other funding sources, etc.
Impact of the project on the community and community need. No Local Development Fund Grant projects were awarded during FY 2009. More information on the Local Development Funds is available on DCA's Web site at www.dca.state.ga.us or contact Cynthia Easley at 404-679-4789 or ceasley@dca.state.ga.us.
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